This applications claims the benefit of and priority to Italian application, serial number ITPI99A/000019, filed Apr. 8, 1999, incorporated herein in its entirety.
1 Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method for packaging articles for parties. The present invention relates specifically to a method for creating non-homogonous articles for parties, such as disposable paper cups, plates, cutlery, and napkins, an apparatus that carries out this method, and to packages of articles obtained with the this method.
2 Description of the Prior Art
For organizing celebrations or parties with a buffet of food and drinks, of disposable paper cups, plates, cutlery in paper or plastic, and napkins, in various shapes and fancy patterns are currently available in the marketplace. The paper cups, places, cutlery, or napkins of every package or normally all identical to one another, and are provided to the attendees for use in eating in drinking. In some cases, the paper cups, plates, cutlery or napkins are used for multiple drinks or snacks, or the participants place the drink or snack aside with the intention of returning to the drink or snack at a later time. In some instances the participants do not remember which cup, plate, cutlery, or napkin is theirs. The participants often then leave the objects and pick up new ones.
This is one of the reasons why during celebrations are parties there is a large and wasteful consumption of paper cups, plates, cutlery, and napkins, often resulting in an exhaustion of the party articles owing to insufficient amount for all the participants, as well as additional work for people serving or for disposing of the used objects.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a package of objects such as disposable paper cups, plates, cutlery in paper or plastic, and napkins, so that they can be used by every participant for a party without confusion with those used by other participants.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method that, in addition to a manual method, allows a partial or complete automatic operation for creating a package of such objects.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for packaging said articles in an automatic or semi-automatic way with high precision and production rates.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method for packaging disposable articles for parties, such as paper cups, plates, cutlery, and napkins and the like, with graphical or figurative elements different from one another, comprises the steps of:
in a first plurality of equal objects, printing or applying a first graphical or figurative element on each object;
repeating the printing step or application step for further pluralities of equal objects, with a second graphical or figurative element for a second plurality, with a third graphical or figurative element for a third plurality, etc.;
creating a stacked group of objects picked up one at a time from each plurality of equal objects, whereby each unit comprises only one of the objects of each plurality and consequently one of each graphical or figurative element; and
packaging the stacked group.
In one embodiment, further steps are provided of:
accumulating the different pluralities of objects with different graphical or figurative elements in different feeding means;
creating output stacked groups by picking up the objects one at a time by passing them under feeding means; and
packaging each group.
According to another aspect of the invention, the instant invention is an apparatus for making packages of objects, each object having a different graphical or figurative element comprising:
at least a plurality of feeing means arranged along a line or a curve in each of which a stack of objects is present, each object having same graphical or figurative element;
at least one support associated with the plurality of feeding means, the support being movable relatively to the plurality of feeding means, and having a housing suitable for receiving the objects from the feeding means;
means for selectively transferring one object at a time from each feeding means to an output stack of mixed objects formed in the housing, whereby each output stack is formed from objects coming from different feeding means such that each object within the output stack has a different graphical or figurative element, i.e., identifying indicia.
In a fist embodiment, the feeding means are arranged in one or more circular lines on a first platform, the moveable support being arranged on a second platform provided coaxially under the first platform, and having a plurality of housings arranged on a circular line under the feeding means, the relative motion between the platform about the common axis aligning in succession each feeding means and the housings, the means for transferring or selectively releasing one object at a time to an output stack formed in the housing at the point at which the stack is under the feeding means, and providing means for removing the output stack from the housing after passage under a predetermined number of feeding means, i.e., when a predetermined number of objects are placed in a stack.
Alternatively, in a second embodiment, the feeding means are arranged in at least one line, the movable support being a conveyor arranged under the line or lines, the means for selectively releasing one object at a time on to output stack formed on the conveyor when the stack passes under the feeding means.
Preferably, in the first or second embodiments, the feeding means are arranged according to a plurality of concentric or parallel lines whereby a plurality of partial output stacks are formed on each line, and means are provided for combining the partial output stacks, so that a single final package is formed each with different objects.
In the first embodiment, the feeding means that are arranged in one or more circular lines of the first platform are spaced angularly, the second platform having housings angularly spaced like the first platform. Means are provided for rotating stepwise the second platform with respect to the first platform. At each step, the transferring means releases the objects from the feeding means in the housing present under It.
In both embodiments, the transferring means are associated with sensing means that detect the correspondence of the feeding means and the housing. The transferring means releases the objects in response to the sensing means which detect the presence of the feeding means.
In the first embodiment, discharge means may be provided of the output stacks comprising a third platform under the second platform, the second platform having the housings that have the lower end an opening so that the output stacks rest and slide on to the third platform. At least one hole is provided for the one or more circular lines of housings, whereby the output stack in turn passes through the hole and on to withdrawing means.
According to a third aspect of the invention a package of disposable party objects such as paper cups, plates, cutlery, and napkins, is provided comprising a homogenous plurality of the objects, each with a different graphical or figurative element from the other.